Concern about jamming within an actuator, such as an electro-mechanical actuator (EMA), has hindered the acceptance of actuators for use in various structural systems, e.g., mobile platforms. For example, such a jammed actuator that controls the movement of a primary flight control surface of an aircraft can create a potentially very dangerous safety situation for the aircraft. Empirical data strongly suggests that degradation of the actuator mechanism is gradual. But, typically, such data does not provide health data, i.e., periodic wear status data, of the actuator during the useful life of the actuator. Systems that monitor the health of actuators, may include numerous dedicated sensors to monitor various actual actuator loads, characteristics, parameters and conditions. Such sensors would add significantly to the cost and complexity of the actuator and ultimately reduce reliability of the actuator.